A War for Survival
by Lowknave
Summary: The Chaw of Chaws, having successfully completed their infiltration of St. Aegolius, planned on returning to Ga'Hoole victorious. However, the Pure Ones have massed an army at Cape Glaux in preparation for the invasion of Ga'Hoole. While everyone knows that the Guardians won the battle, what if a few select events had played out differently? Can the Chaw of Chaws save Ga'Hoole?
1. Discovery

**A/N: Yes, it's me. I figure some of you might be might looking for an explanation regarding my whereabouts, as it has been about roughly a year (only off by eight days) since I last updated. Before I get to that, however, let me quickly explain the premise of this story before people skip the author's note.  
**

**This story idea is quite simple in nature: It's a slightly modified version of **_The Siege_**. However, as to be expected, this small alteration will result in a rather significant change to both the plot and events of the series. This first chapter will mostly cover what will be different. Future chapters will get progressively more unique content should they be made (unlikely for the most part, mostly using this story as a test, but if interest is high enough I'll consider it). But yes, that's pretty much it, nothing overly complicated about this idea, unlike some of my other stories. **

**Anyways, now regarding where I've been. To put it simply: life has kept me busy, and I've lacked the drive to write as consistently as I used to. That isn't to say I'm burnt out from GoGH, but creative writing in general is a difficult task, as I'm sure most of you understand. Hence why I wrote this little idea of mine, to mostly test the waters and see if anyone is interested. This little update is very useful, actually, as it'll allow me to know where to work on and try to get myself re-motivated. Though, for the most part, I did it just to provide something for whoever is out there. I don't expect this idea to get much traction (as I have other projects to attend to), but if it does, I might provide an update here or there. **

**I'll be trying to respond to everyone that sent PMs in the meantime. Please, feel free to review, and it can be about anything: critiques, suggestions, story ideas you would want to see happen. You get the idea. Also, I'd recommend reviewing other author's stories, but that's just me. Anyways, will catch you all later (maybe a year later . . . who knows?)**

* * *

_Chapter One: Discovery_

Racing through the borderless, unending sky, a group of seven remarkably different but similarly intentioned owls followed the one and only river leading out of Ambala, through The Barrens, and into the Sea of Hoolemere. While one of their objectives was to reach the Great Tree as fast as possible to bring urgent news, they first intended to travel to Cape Glaux and see for themselves if an army really was massing there to attack Ga'Hoole. If what they had heard was true, it would become imperative that the Great Tree and its legendary Guardians are warned before the ensuing onslaught reached their shores.

This group, having just completed a successful counter-espionage mission at St. Aegolius, had come to be known as the Chaw of Chaws. Its members were some of the youngest and most creative owls in recent times. Though, it still had a long way to go before being recognized as true Guardians sworn in by oath.

While their mission had been a success, it was far from perfect. In fact, the mission had almost ended in tragedy as one of its key members, an aspiring Barn Owl known as Soren, nearly succumbed to the wounds that were inflicted upon him during their escape. Luckily, a flying snake known as Slynella had miraculously saved him just before the point of no return.

It was also during this recovery period that this tight-knit group ran across several owls and other creatures in the Forest Kingdom of Ambala. Of those, a renowned female Spotted Owl going by the alias of Mist was the one to provide information regarding the army massing at Cape Glaux to Soren and his comrades. After learning of this, despite the protest of some members who believed Soren needed more time to heal and rest before getting airborne, it was decided they should get moving at once.

Progress was far quicker than initially anticipated. Soren's wound hardly diminished his resolve to warn Ga'Hoole. This determination would pay off, as they reached the outskirts of Cape Glaux by twixt time and weather conditions were quite unpleasant. Visibility was even worse, seconded only by the one precarious incident many moons ago where the Band found itself lost in a middle of a winter storm on their way to Ga'Hoole.

Needless to say, the group decided to use the opportunity to rest and reorient themselves while Twilight was given the special task of scouting out for any signs of the evil Pure One army.

Soren, still recovering from his wound, sheltered inside the hollow of a fir tree. He was joined by Gylfie, who elected to stay behind and keep an eye on him while the others attempted to find a quick meal within the immediate proximity of the fir tree. They were extra careful to avoid running across any owls that could be Pure Ones, but given the visibility, the chances of that happening were slim.

The uncertainty of the situation they found themselves in did have a toll on their nerves, and Soren's gizzard was particularly uneasy at this point of time. Pressing his back against the rearmost wall in the hollow, he slumped himself against it, being extra diligent to ensure the spot where he was missing a tailfeather wasn't damaged any further. Observing it briefly, he rested his head against the wall behind him, before falling into deep, apprehensive contemplation.

_There's no way my brother would have amassed an army to strike Ga'Hoole this early. How could he have hidden it so well? Are we just that naive to the true threat he and his followers pose to the Owl Kingdoms?_

Soren sighed wearily from the troubling thoughts. Gylfie, having picked up on his uneasiness, stood beside him and adopted a similar position, equally gloomy from the present situation.

The two remained silent for a few moments, until Gylfie locked her eyes on him.

"How are you holding up?"

Soren slowly turned his head towards her, before returning it to its previous position ahead of him.

"My wound has been healing up quite nicely now, Gylfe. Once that tailfeather returns, I'll be back to normal."

Gylfie responded quickly, restructuring her response. "That's great Soren, but I was more-so asking to see how you were feeling about all of this talk regarding a possible attack on Ga'Hoole."

"Oh," Soren took a moment to try and formulate a response. "I'm somewhat optimistic that our actions at St. Aegolius will to the very least distract them. We should have some time to get to the Great Tree before the winterlies get too severe."

It was obvious to Soren judging by Gylfie's expression that she was hardly convinced by his statements. He gave a heavy sigh before confessing.

"We can't let this get to our heads, but I am worried about the news Twilight will bring back to us. There's no denying that if there really is an army there, and Ga'Hoole isn't made aware of it, there's no telling what could happen."

Gylfie nodded solemnly. "There's still hope that this army is insignificant in numbers and, more importantly, hasn't attacked yet. If we're lucky, these winterlies may work to our advantage for once."

Soren seemed to perk up slightly from that. She had a valid point, the Pure Ones weren't nearly as good flyers as the Guardians, and for them to fly out in these conditions would be quite risky. This small element of nature may just prove decisive in determining who wins this war. Though, they still must not get complacent even if that is the case.

"Thanks, Gylfie, I feel a lot better now."

She smiled. "Don't mention it."

The two fell quiet again until Digger poked his head inside the hollow, before entering.

"Sorry you two, couldn't find anything for us to grind our gizzards on."

Soren rushed to assure his disappointed friend. "Don't worry about it, Digger. I'm not hungry anyways. All I want to do is get back to the Great Tree and ease this burden we've been put under."

"Only for us to be burdened with something else the moment we get back…" Gylfie commented insightfully.

"Fair point, Gylfie." Soren replied. "That is to be expected for Guardians like us."

"I don't think we're Guardians quite yet, Soren." Gylfie pointed out.

"Well," Digger interjected hesitantly. "What does that make us, exactly?"

Soren and Gylfie were stumped by the question, as was typical with such questions presented by an owl like Digger.

"I don't know, Digger." Gylfie answered finally. "Maybe we can best compare ourselves to owls like Mist. We are noble owls, at least, I think so. But we're not quite Guardians, perhaps Guardians-in-training is a better way to describe us."

"And what do you think, Soren? Digger asked pressingly.

"You know exactly what we are, Digger . . . we're the Band, the Chaw of Chaws. While we may not be Guardians yet, that is but only a title, it's our actions that truly matter in the end."

Digger seemed impressed with the answer. "Well said, Soren. Well said."

Remember Gylfie's own response, Digger added. "Your response was equally admirable, Gylfie."

Despite the praise, Gylfie hung her head low, having been out-done by Soren. Her low-spirits were only temporary, however.

Interested in continuing the conversation, Digger brought up another observation that had been on his mind for some time since they were made aware of the army at Cape Glaux.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Digger asked cryptically.

"Hmm?"

"The situation we've found ourselves in, surely you two see the parallels of this to an event that we've experienced before, eh?"

The two's silence was enough of an indicator that they hadn't yet recognized the point he was trying to make.

"Think about it, it hadn't been too long ago when we all had first met each other and vowed to reach Ga'Hoole to warn of them of the threat posed by St. Aegolius and the 'you only wish' group we've experienced together as a band. Now look at our situation now, we're trying to reach Ga'Hoole to warn them of an impending threat to the Owl Kingdoms."

_Digger never ceases to impress me with the things he can put together. _Soren thought, amazed that he hadn't made such an connection earlier.

"Though," Digger added, "Let's hope we don't overshoot and end up having to share a hollow with a punch of smelly puffins again."

This got a good churr out of them. The memories flooded back to them how poorly things had went during that time. It was a miracle that they managed to eventually locate the Great Tree. The times were much different back then, though, in a way, not much has changed either.

"Thinking about it again, I sure do miss the Mirror Lakes and the abundant prey and warm thermals it provided . . ." Gylfie reflected dreamily. "Maybe we should go there instead. Ga'Hoole can wait."

"Here we go again . . ." Soren groaned.

The Mirror Lakes had been a source of conflict for the early band, and had almost resulted in the group splintering just before they reached Ga'Hoole. In hindsight, Mrs. P's intervention proved to be the right decision to make given the rather meaningful life they enjoy at Ga'Hoole now.

"Relax, I'm only joking. Though if Twilight were around, I'm sure he'd take the thought very seriously."

"Speaking of Twilight," Digger broke in. "I wonder if he's found anything."

"Knowing him, I'm sure he has. Let's hope he brings us back some good news."

* * *

Twilight had to circle around for another pass to be sure he wasn't missing something. While the fog heavily impacted visibility, it helped mask Twilight's grey plumage and allow him to fly undetected around the general proximity of what he has come to discover to be the Pure Ones' staging area. A joke of one, that is.

At most, he counted thirty Tytos. He had to suppress himself from churring out loud at such a pitiful number. With the element of surprise, he and his comrades could rout this "army" in less than several minutes with fire branches.

_Racdrops, I could rout this army by myself if I wanted to! They'll tell stories about me if I do that!_

Though, despite Twilight's bolstering confidence, he knew from his _orphan school of tough learning _that there had to be more to this. Perhaps the fog was hiding something from him, maybe his vision wasn't as sharp as before, or . . . he dared not think about the worst possibility.

Just as he was finishing his second pass, he caught sight of two Tytos isolated from the group. Twilight strained to hear what they were discussing.

"What's the news from the front?" One of the Tytos asked.

"Better than expected," the other Tyto responded. "The foolish Guardians were taken by complete surprise. Though we did lose a few owls from the winterlies, that is more than made up from our glorious victory. The High Tyto was wise in taking such a risk."

Twilight, beginning to comprehend what they were saying, had to fight off the urge of going yeep. Never before had he been so petrified, nor did he expect any of this to be true.

"So, the Great Tree is ours?"

"Not yet,"

Twilight prevented himself from sighing in relief, there was still a chance and not all was lost. The main Tyto speaker provided an explanation.

"We've routed the Guardians from the airspace around the Great Tree thanks to the High Tyto's brilliant flanking maneuver. We have control over all parts of Ga'Hoole except for the Great Tree itself. However, the Guardians have dug themselves inside of the Great Tree, and seem to have no intention of fighting us on even terms. They can't get out, but we can't get in either- not without taking unsustainable losses, anyways."

"They're only delaying the inevitable, surely they don't have the food to survive such a siege."

"Our intelligence unit says otherwise. It could be a full moon before they fully run out of food, maybe even longer."

_Intelligence? _Twilight mused. _I didn't think the Pure Ones had such a thing._

"Most unfortunate, and here I was thinking we would've fully secured the Great Tree by spring."

"That is why you and your soldiers must protect these bags with your lives. If you lose even one, the weapon will no longer work, and we will be forced to endure a campaign that may very well extend into springtime."

_Bags? _Twilight wondered. _What could possibly be in the . . ._

The moment the realization hit him, his gizzard locked up, simply stunned beyond comprehension. The Pure Ones had more flecks, somehow, despite him and the others having destroyed most of it in the rescue of Ezylryb. How could this have happened?

"I didn't realize the stakes were this high," The other Barn Owl commented. "Though, I suppose we should avoid having our slipgizzles deaths be in vain. They gave their lives going to St. Aegolius to steal their flecks to allow us to use them for this very moment."

"Not quite this moment, we still cannot risk carrying the flecks over the Sea of Hoolemere under these conditions. Once the winterlies die down, however, complete victory will be ours."

Twilight had heard enough. He left the scene immediately and raced back to his friends.

When he returned, his panicked expression was enough of an indication for everyone to realize that what Twilight had learned was far worse than they had initially anticipated. He caught his breath and explained the situation.

"The Pure Ones have laid siege to the Great Tree."

Everyone was silent for what felt like an eternity. None of them could believe it, yet they knew it to be true.

"We're too late?" Martin whimpered. Despite being one of the smallest owls in the hollow, he appeared even smaller from the amount of fear coursing through him.

"How many owls were there?" Otulissa asked, equally frightful.

"I only saw 30, but they didn't seem to be with the main army. There's no telling how many there actually is."

"We have to rush back to the Great Tree!" Ruby urged suddenly. "They'll need our help if they wish to overcome the siege."

"I'm afraid there's more pressing matters that we have to deal with." Twilight responded ominously.

Soren didn't really want to know, but knew that they needed to. "And what's that?"

"From what I heard, the Pure Ones are planning on setting up a devil's triangle like the one they used to capture Ezylryb with on the island."

"Good Glaux," Otulissa muttered. "The Guardians will be done for if they succeed in setting it up."

"How soon until it will be operational?" Digger asked worriedly.

"As soon as the weather clears up. They don't want to risk losing it as they only have enough for one complete devil's triangle."

The hollow fell silent again, Soren could sense the fear building up in not just his own gizzard, but the others as well.

Gylfie, hesitantly, asked the most obvious question. "What do we do?"

Everyone focused their attention on Soren, the leader of the group, and the only one that could be relied upon to make such a difficult decision. They looked to him for inspiration and guidance, and their faith in him was well placed. He had got them back alive from not only a battle against the Pure Ones, but St. Aegolius as well. Soren knew this, and with it, his confidence was steadied.

"There's only one course of action to take: we have to destroy the bags of flecks before they reach Ga'Hoole. If we don't- . . ." Soren didn't want to contemplate the consequences any further.

Gylfie questioned. "But how? We're without battleclaws, outnumbered, and we don't even know where these bags of flecks are located."

"We're also ignoring the fact we don't have any mu metal to protect ourselves from magnetic effects those bags would give off if they're placed in a triangle formation." Otulissa added.

Digger also chimed in. "I doubt we have enough time to try and secure enough mu metal to fully protect all of us either."

"Look," Soren answered sharply. "Yes, we're not in an ideal situation at the moment. But we are the Chaw of Chaws. Did you all happen to forget that we found a way to rescue Ezylryb all by ourselves without even a single battleclaw? We've beaten my brother — the leader of the Pure Ones — once before, we surely can do it again. We've been through everything, overcome every challenge thrown at us, and while this one will perhaps be the most difficult, the end result will be no different than before. I know this, because we already possess the only weapons we'll ever need: our gizzard, our brains, our talons, and our resolve. If that isn't enough, then nothing ever will be. But know this: we are Guardians of Ga'Hoole, and this will be our final trial before either becoming a true Guardian, or being the last owls to truly stand up for good in this world. Let us, then, prepare for what lies ahead of us, be it a world for the noble, or a world for the tyrannical. I say let us fight, friends! Let us fight!"

* * *

**A/N: Well, that is all for this chapter. Who will win by the end of this story? The Chaw of Chaws' plot armor or the Pure Ones' being supported by author bias? Find out in the next few chapters coming next year! (Or, in all seriousness, once I get the time to write another story first.) **


	2. Planning

**A/N: Not really sure why I'm doing this, but figured to anyways. I just wanted to try and write something down as my writing capabilities are diminishing (while no feedback has indicated this, I just know for certain it isn't what it once was). Given the simplicity of an idea like this, I can write it down quite quickly, which is perhaps why I'm continuing on with it. It's far from perfect, but I didn't wish to get bog down trying to make it as good as possible. There's a chance I may come back and edit it, but for now I'll post it just so the reader can have something to look at. **

**That'll be all from me. As before, this chapter was mostly just practice for other projects I'm struggling with. Take care.**

* * *

_Chapter Two: Planning_

Despite the Chaw of Chaws' overwhelming desire to get into action to save Ga'Hoole, fatigue and a lack of planning immobilized the group for the time being. Daytime had arrived, and the group hadn't had much sleep from the days before. With time being of the essence, it was begrudgingly decided that they should use this time now to rest, all the while, they would try to think of an effective strategy to destroy the Pure Ones' limited supply of flecks.

Try as they might, sleep eluded them for most of the day. The same unnerving thoughts seem to hound over all of them at once, the thought of no Great Tree, no Guardians of Ga'Hoole, to return to. A world ruled over by fanatical Tytos with a belief that they are somehow superior to all other forms of owls. It was absurd to consider, yet, if they really could achieve victory so thoroughly and quickly, what other conclusion could be given?

Out of all the owls, Soren was troubled by these thoughts that permeated in his mind the most. It was impossible for an owl like his older brother to have influenced so many Tytos into believe such nonsense. Surely, there had to have been some deeper roots to it all, a past undisclosed in the annals of written and orally recorded history. Something he and his counterparts were unaware of despite having lived in most sacred place for knowledge.

As much as this bothered him, he was most troubled by the problem at present. Soren just didn't have the adequate information to go off of. There was too much to consider, yet not enough time. He had to constantly fight the urge to rouse and look outside the hollow to see if the winterlies had let up. Every second that went by was one more wasted that could've been doing something imperative to the survival of the Great Tree.

He couldn't even come to imagine how horrible it must be for his friends and comrades stuck inside the Great Tree itself. While he and a few his closest friends slept with relatively no risk of danger, owls like Soren's sister, Eglantine, who couldn't join him for the important mission in St. Aegolius, had to sleep under the constant threat of being swarmed. Perhaps even while having an empty gizzard from the lack of food to consume. Soren was sure she was also thinking about him, and how they may never get to see each other again.

This alone was enough to sap his spirits, but he held out hope that both they and his group would pull through. Besides, they still didn't know for sure if Ga'Hoole was under siege and losing. The Pure Ones were dimwitted and susceptible to suggestion, to take them at their word is about as trustworthy as taking a puffin at its word.

_But it was a few puffins' advice that helped us reach Ga'Hoole in the first place._ Soren reminded himself condescendingly. Though, Soren swiftly came to the conclusion that comparing the average Pure Ones' intelligence to a puffin would be insulting to the puffin, who at least could act on their own without direction.

Still slightly weakened from his previous injury, Soren finally nodded off just as the sun reached its apex.

* * *

Soren found himself falling from the tree where he once laid. Unable to make sense of what was going on, his instincts took hold and he fanned out his wings as far as he could. His downward decent was halved instantly, but his collision with the ground was still quite violent.

_What is going on? How did I fall out of the hollow?_

Panicked and struggling to breath, he slowly tried getting back up, but it was a tall order. As he was getting his footing, a voice stopped him dead in his track.

"I say, you got yourself in a terrible fix yet again, little brother."

Soren looked up and caught sight of that terrible metal mask, and the owl behind it. Soren trembled with rage, especially after what Kludd would say next.

"This time, however, I'll see to it your fate will the same as our weak parents. As well as all the other impure beings you once called friends."

Soren screeched and charged at Kludd, catching him by surprise. Soren plowed head-first into his chest, knocking him onto his back. Before Soren could deliver a clean stab with his claws, Kludd rolled to his right and slashed at Soren, cutting his belly lightly. Kludd had barely any time to stand before Soren was upon him, attacking wildly and without discipline, but Kludd was too caught up in trying to avoid Soren's attack to exploit that weakness.

Soren's attack briefly subsided when Kludd delivered a reactionary shove against Soren. Sending the enraged Tyto a short-distance away from Kludd.

"Everything you once loved . . . is gone. The Great Tree, the Guardians, everything you cared about . . . I took all of it away from you. Now, the only thing I need to take from is your life."

Kludd, this time, was the one to charge at Soren. But Soren's own attacks were even more aggressive than before. After Kludd delivered a clean slash across Soren's flank, Soren's mind went blank from rage, and the last he thing remembered was there being blood everywhere. Soren could hear voices and pleas in the back of his head, but he didn't pay any mind to them.

Finally, Soren was jolted back to reality, panting heavily and sore all over. His once pure white plumage was stained with blood. He took a moment to gather himself before realizing there was at least a dozen corpses around him, including his older brother's.

A moment passed, then, as he examined the corpses, a horrifying sight left him breathless and stunned. It was the Chaw of Chaws, all of them, skewered and with their faces permanently expressing pain and terror. Soren's attention fell mostly on the elf owl, the first friend he ever had.

No longer able to stand, Soren collapsed at the sight of it all. More corpses seemed to materialize, but Soren could not bear to look for another second. Powerless to do anything else, Soren could only think.

_Who committed this atrocity?_

His gizzard cringed as his eyes froze upon the bloody battleclaws he wore. The realization and conclusion he began to comprehend as the voices returned to him caused him to shake violently.

"No . . . no, no! I couldn't have!" Soren shrieked in agony.

The puddle of blood that gathered around his battleclaws seem to transform into water, and the last thing he remembered was seeing a reflection of himself wearing a helmet much like the one Kludd wore.

"Soren! It's just a dream, wake up!"

Everyone was gathered around Soren, desperately trying to wake him from the daymare he was experiencing. Soren quickly did, alert and focused on his surroundings.

Nighttime had arrived, but luckily Soren could tell the winterlies were still around. After recognizing the faces of his friends around him, he sighed wearily and remained motionless.

"I don't think I've ever seen you reacting that violently to a dream. What was it about?" Gyflie inquired hesitantly.

"It was- was . . ." Soren stared at the elf owl, unable to bring himself to confess the grotesque things he had saw. "It was nothing. Just a daymare."

"Well that sure isn't surprising," Twilight commented, "As we all had one — I mean, everyone but me did, but not quite like the one you were experiencing."

Soren remained silent after the revelation. The group didn't pressure him further and began accomplishing their typical nightly routine of hunting, preening, and stretching before their more important plans were to be considered.

After getting themselves in order, with fresh meat in their gizzards, they felt ready to take on whatever was thrown at them — besides the actual task at hand.

Soren, having contemplated the matter for some time, now knew the course of action they must take.

"Time is limited and we're quite under-equipped for this task. But, we do have a key element on our side: initiative. The Pure Ones don't know we're here, and likewise probably aren't expecting their flecks to be at risk. If we do this carefully and destroy the flecks in a surprise attack, we can deny the Pure Ones a quick victory."

"But what about the siege at Ga'Hoole?" Martin inquired.

"We'll think about that at a better time, but for now we have to focus on dealing with the flecks first, or defeat is all but certain."

"So, what do you suggest we do?"

"I know it is risky, but I do not think we have everything we need to succeed just yet. That is why tonight we must devote time to find any advantage we can get before committing to a final strategy."

"To do this, we'll need to split up temporarily to accomplish this task in a timely manner. Here's what we must do."

Soren turned to solely Twilight, garnering his attention.

"Since Twilight is the only one to have seen the Pure One staging point at Cape Glaux, he will be searching for the location of where all the fleck is gathered. Given the importance of this task, I will join him in his search, though my own role is also to monitor the weather and estimate how long it'll be before the winterlies let up."

Twilight nodded in confirmation, Soren switched his attention to Gylfie.

"Gylfie, you must find Hortense — I mean Mist — again. I want you to inform her of everything going on, and request for assistance from Streak and Zan, or anyone willing for that matter. With them joining us, our chances of succeeding are much higher, and we can use anyone we can get."

Gylfie, like Twilight, also nodded. "Sure, Soren, I'll pay our old friend Hortense a quick visit again."

"Digger, Otulissa, you two will seek out the Rogue Smith of Silverveil. There is quite a few things we need from her, but I do not expect you two to get everything. First and most importantly, try to acquire a bucket so we have a way to gather the embers that we will use to destroy the bags of flecks — however many there may be. If possible, also try to get as many embers from her forge that she can spare."

"We'll also use the embers to create fire branches like last time, right Soren?" Ruby chimed in, recollecting how she was the one to come up with the idea during their rescue of Ezylryb.

"Yes. But given the weather, we cannot become overly reliant on fire branches. That is why I also want Digger and Otulissa to see if the rogue smith could procure several battleclaws for us, even if it is unlikely they would be made in a reasonable amount of time."

Digger didn't seem confident in the plan. "I doubt we'll be able to carry all of this, Soren. Even if the rogue smith offered her assistance."

"Hmm . . . yes, and the last thing we might need is mu metal just in case the magnetic effects are too strong. However, that is just as unlikely as us getting the battleclaws."

"What should we focus on, then?"

"The bucket and the embers, of course. Without them, we don't have much of a chance at succeeding."

Otulissa seemed even more troubled by this than Digger. "Don't you think we should have Twilight for this task? He can carry a bit more, while me or Digger can take up the role of searching for the fleck locations."

"We can't afford to lose time searching for the flecks locations, Twilight is the only one to have found the staging area, and it is only logical for the flecks to be located near there. I'm sorry, but there's no other realistic way of doing this."

"What about me and Ruby, Soren?" Martin asked.

"Given that we need embers and you two can collier, I wanted you two to look for any forest fires and try to gather embers."

"But couldn't Martin help out Digger and Outlissa? I can catch airborne embers by myself, you know."

Soren sighed, having his plan questioned stressed him somewhat, but he still understood the merit of her point.

"I don't want our entire plan to be at the mercy of the Rogue Smith of Silverveil. Because if I have all three of you go out looking for her and fail, that means the only thing we have left to succeed is based on many embers Ruby can carry, which at most, is one."

"One may be all we need." Otulissa remarked.

"You're willing to risk the entirety of the owl kingdoms on one ember?"

"Yes, just as I'm willing to risk the entirety of the owl kingdoms on your plans."

Soren took a few moments to reconsider his position, before finally conceding.

"Fine, Martin will join Otulissa and Digger in their search for the rogue smith. Ruby will find us a forest fire and get at least one ember for us to use."

Soren concluded. "As soon as you've accomplished your task, waste no time returning to this very tree. We will all regroup here to evaluate our options, and will likely begin our attack immediately after. Any questions?"

There was no additional points to be made, and the Chaw of Chaws dispersed to accomplish each of their assigned missions.

* * *

Gylfie had navigated her way back the way they came and quickly got into contact with Mist. She was both glad and anxious to see Gylfie had returned so soon, this time, without the rest of her friends.

"Gylfie, it's so great to see you again. But I doubt you've came with good news."

"I'm afraid not, Mist. The situation is far worse than we initially anticipated. The Great Tree is under siege, and we have to stop them from moving a sizable quantity of flecks to Ga'Hoole."

"Ah flecks, the very thing St. Aegolius was obsessed about. I'm afraid I don't have any knowledge on the matter of flecks that would be of any use to you."

"It's not that I'm looking for, Mist. It's the eagles and anyone that could help us fight these evil owls. Anyone willing, that is."

Mist looked at Streak and Zan, the two didn't seem to hesitate, and Streak gave his answer.

"We'll gladly assist you just as we had before. Evil has no place anywhere. My mate also intends to help."

Zan gave her non-verbal approval with a nod of her head.

"Ssso do we."

The two flying snakes they had met before, Slynella and Stingyll, having overheard the conversation, also joined in.

Gylfie was ecstatic from the quick arrangement. Her fears of having the requested rejected dissolved almost immediately.

"This is perfect! I can't thank all of you enough for being so noble and brave. I'm confident now we'll succeed."

"I'm sure you all will, Gylfie." Mist nodded, but she was hardly enthusiastic. Not from the fact that she couldn't help, but from the feeling she got in her gizzard. A peculiar feeling, but one she didn't quite fully understand. She didn't mention it when they all left, and she could only hope it didn't mean anything regarding them.

* * *

"Racdrops, this isn't good." Martin said, studying the blacksmith items that were left behind near the stronghold in Silverveil where the rogue smith's forge had been.

"No, it is not. And I doubt we have time to search for her." Digger added.

This was an unexpected development. They were all confident that she would be here as she always had, but it was evident that the forge was abandoned and moved. Nearly every important item that could've been utilized had been moved, and the things that remained were hardly useful for them at the moment.

"If only Mist knew where she had gone . . ." Digger sighed, defeated.

_Not that it would matter, _Otulissa thought to herself. _It's unlikely she would be able to resume blacksmith operations in time._

Knowing full well Soren had been right regarding their failure, they all departed away from the stronghold in defeat.

* * *

"This is most unusual, Soren." Twilight whispered, the two were perched on a concealed branch a distance away from the several Pure Ones they caught sight of, the bag of flecks clearly visible.

"I know, Twilight, this is the sixth bag we've seen. There's something wrong about all of this."

A devil's triangle, as the name implied, required three bags of flecks to be placed in the aforementioned shape to be effective. The night before, Twilight reported they only had enough to make one such triangle, but for whatever reason, there was six bags, all dispersed across Cape Glaux and guarded by a varying number of owls.

The only reason they caught sight of the bags was because it appeared the Pure Ones were preparing to move them. This was just as alarming of a development as the discovery of six bags. It was unknown if they were moving them to a different location to be hidden or if, in fact, they were about to be moved to Ga'Hoole.

"Hmm, this is not good, should we keep looking for more?" Twilight asked.

Soren sighed. "At this point, there's too many to track down. Discovering anymore will be of no benefit, especially if they're preparing to move them. We must regroup and attack at once and try to destroy all of the bags."

"Very well then, I look forward to fighting them. Let's hope the others brought us some good news."

"With our luck, I'm sure things will go. Let's go prepare."

Soren's gizzard, however, wasn't so optimistic.

* * *

Across the Sea of Hoolemere, at the island of Ga'Hoole. Kludd stood near the shoreline outside of the Great Tree itself. Beside him was a particularly beautiful female of his kind named Nyra, a name only given to owls who had been born on a night of the eclipse. Kludd owed his life to her for the opportunity she had given to him, and likewise, Nyra admired Kludd's strength and potential. Their status as mates was only unfulfilled in the literal sense, but that would change soon, starting as soon as the Great Tree was theirs.

The circumstances for tonight, however, were quite different. In most cases they would remain perched on the exterior branches of the Great Tree — the only parts they had secured — and remain vigilant against their Guardian adversaries who remained dug-in inside of the Great Tree itself. But for this particular issue, Kludd found it best to separate themselves from both enemies and allies alike. Only Nyra had the earned privilege of being so close to him at any point of time.

Nyra could sense when he was anxious quite easily. He had been like this for some time now, but tonight was even more obvious. She drew closer to him and grabbed his attention, locking eyes with him and asking.

"What is troubling you, my dear? Having second thoughts about your previous decision?"

Just a short-while ago, Kludd had made the bold decision of ordering the flecks back at Cape Glaux to be moved to the Great Tree at once, despite the winterlies. Wortmore had been given this task to inform of the soldiers guarding the flecks of this change in plans and was presently en route. It would take him at least another hour before these plans were set in motion.

"No, my dear Nyra. I believe this risk is one that must be taken if we are to win against these Guardians. But I cannot shake the feeling in my gizzard that more precaution is needed."

Nyra nodded sympathetically. "Of course, my love, this is no time for half measures."

These feelings Kludd was having had been what caused him to rush the Great Tree in the first place, much to great success, granted, but it was nonetheless a risky move for them to take. At least a dozen owls were lost from the winterlies alone, and that owl Ezylryb had caught sight of them when returning from his own visit to the Southern Kingdoms. The battle that followed, while difficult, had successfully contained the Guardians from further action. For a short while thereafter, Kludd seemed comfortable and at ease.

Such outlooks were only temporary, as Kludd earlier tonight demonstrated when he gave said order to get the flecks moving at once under a similar basis.

Kludd wasn't alone in feeling anxious about all of this. She too worried about the flecks back at Cape Glaux. The entire war could be determined by them, and to lose them by winterlies or enemy action would be devastating. Given Kludd's earlier decision, however, it was clear that Kludd feared a possible enemy attack more than anything.

After a long period of silent contemplation between the two, Kludd finally brought up what was on his mind.

"Nyra."

"Yes, my dear?"

"I want you to fly to Cape Glaux and oversee the transfer of the flecks yourself. Take a detachment of your best troops with you, the winterlies should pose no danger to you or them."

Nyra did not wish to object to her mate's command, but she did feel that taking away their best troops would weaken their position around the Great Tree. It made sense to her now why he had wished to separate themselves away from everyone, but this was still a drastic move by all accounts.

Kludd, knowing his mate just as well as she knew him, cured her uncertainty by giving an assuring tactical analysis.

"Our strength here at the Great Tree is more than sufficient at the moment. You need not worry of the Guardians breaking this siege, but what is vulnerable is our flecks. At least do this for me, and our future."

Nyra was convinced by his words, and likewise responded. "It will be done, my dear Kludd."

* * *

**A/N: Boring, eh? I don't blame you, this idea seems no different than what happens in the book series. Luckily, things will start changing real quick once the action starts. In what way is anyone's guess. Alright, take care.**


	3. Action

**A/N: I must thank everyone that reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I've been stuck working on essays and the like, it makes me yearn for some creative writing over the formats like MLA and APA. This chapter took me less than five hours to do, it's far from perfect, as usual, but I figured those of you reading would rather want something okay rather than having it delayed. This is a causal story, anyhow, mostly for practice.  
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****As always, do whatever you want fellow reader. I really enjoyed the reviews, however, as to be expected. If you want me to leave a response to reviews in the A/N as I do sometimes, just let me know. Otherwise, that's all I have to say really. Have a good day/night!**

* * *

_Chapter Three: Action_

"There's six bags of flecks!?"

The group had gathered back inside of the hollow at the same tree in Silverveil as before. Gylfie had brought the eagles and flying snakes up to speed on the situation during their flight over, they remained mostly silent, but keenly observant to their owl counterparts as the owls reported on their assignment success or failure.

The results were mixed, but mostly negative. The allies Gylfie brought along was far more than anticipated, it was the best thing case scenario for them. But the inability for the main chunk of the group to locate the Rogue Smith of Silverveil proved detrimental to their options. No battleclaws, no buckets, no mu metal and no additional embers were gained, severely limiting their options.

Ruby herself stared regrettably at the one ember she had managed to catch. With no bucket, she had to hold on to it with either one of her claws or her beak at varying times to avoid overexposure. While getting the ember ensured they had a chance, it was still hardly enough for the task, and would be pushing it.

The findings reported by Soren and Twilight now seemed to dampen the hope the group had for success.

"I'm afraid there is, me and Twilight are sure of it."

"But I thought Twilight overheard them saying they only had enough for a single devil's triangle?" Ruby asked, transfering the ember from her port to starboard foot.

"Yes, it doesn't make any sense . . ." Digger commented.

Soren shifted uneasily. "I hate not knowing, I get the feeling in my gizzard that this detail is perhaps the most important."

Silence ensued as the group's own gizzards started to emulate the feeling expressed by Soren. Otulissa, however, thought of a possibility and hazzard her own theory regarding the news.

"Well, perhaps there's a more tactical reason for them to have six bags rather than three."

Martin cocked his head to the side, as did the others. "What do you mean?"

"Well, last time we were able to find the flecks due to the magnetic signature it gave off. Surely the Pure Ones — despite their inherent lack of intelligence — learned from their mistake and are splitting the flecks further to avoid having it detected too easily."

Soren nodded in affirmation. "I see what you're saying, Otulissa. Do you think they're also spreading it out so the flecks doesn't affect the soldiers guarding it as badly?"

She blinked. "It's possible. The bags of flecks need to be a lot closer together if they want to have any real effect. They're probably waiting until they get to the Great Tree to combine them and create a proper devil's triangle with three bags. If only Dewlap could've read more about higher magnetics to be sure. . ."

Soren broke her irrelevant rambling with an assertive clearing of the throat. Before saying.

"Let's not think about that now. So if what you're saying is true, this could make our task that much harder."

She recomposed herself. "Yes, destroying one bag may not be enough. We'll have to get at least two to be certain the triangle's effective radius doesn't cover most of the Great Tree."

Uncertainty now clouded the group, they all stared expectantly at each other. Hoping that not all was lost and they still had a chance.

"I hate to be rude, but the only thing we should be worried about is: Can we pull it off?"

Surprisingly, Soren had a newfound surge of confidence and answered.

"Actually, I think this might work in our favor."

"Oh? I'd love to hear the good news you have for us."

Soren took a moment to collect his thoughts, before explaining.

"The main thing we're missing is mu metal to shield us from the effects of the flecks. But if Otulissa's theory is true, we may not need it so long as they don't get close enough to create a triangle."

Realization sparked in their eyes. Gylfie also started to see the advantages presented to them from the Pure Ones' strategy.

"Soren's right. And with the bags of flecks at six separate locations, the Pure Ones have to divide their forces to guard each one. We can easily overpower them even without battleclaws, especially now that Streak and Zan are with us."

"Indeed, but having only one ember to use is still a problem . . ." Ruby commented.

She continued. "Soren was right, though, it probably would've been better for us to focus on embers."

"Stay focused, we can't let mistakes distract us now. We still have one ember, that's enough to light several fire branches and destroy one bag at a time. We'll just have to act quickly."

"And what if we lose the ember somehow?" Digger asked out of impulse from the thought, he regretted having even mention it.

"Then we'll steal the bags if we have to, we must prevent as many bags from reaching Ga'Hoole as possible." Soren answered.

"Right, we should act quickly." Twilight encouraged.

"As much as I want to plan this out further, you're right. Time is something we do not have, we must strike now while we still can."

Streak, the male eagle, spoke at last."And what about us, young Tyto?"

Soren hesitated. The eagles were immensely powerful creatures, but they were large and flew noisily. Any seasoned and alert Tyto like Soren would hear an eagle coming from afar. Given how the Pure Ones were made up of almost exclusively Tytos, this disadvantage proved especially potent. The Pure One guards, if they realized what the eagles were up to, would have more than enough time to grab the bag and flee.

While aggressiveness and quick, deceive action was needed. Surprise was an even more crucial element. WIthout it, they won't get far, but the eagles' strength was still vital, especially if they get hung up by stubborn Pure One resistance.

Soren contemplated all of this. While he knew he was coming to be a great leader, his abilities as a combat tactician were quite lacking. He had seen combat, but his understanding of it was still rudimentary. Still, creativity was a strong-suit of his, and with basic reasoning he could make a simple, but effective plan.

With that, Soren explained his plan to the group.

"Yes, we will need everyone to succeed. But we cannot rush in blindly all at once, nor can we do anything fancy and complicated that is susceptible to mistakes. Our attack on the soldiers guarding the bags of flecks needs to be as fierce as it is silent. Streak and Zan easily qualify the former, but not the latter."

Soren would go on to explain how the eagles, and several owls of the Chaw of Chaws, are non-silent flyers that could be heard by the Pure One guards before they could get close enough to prevent escape. Upon doing this, he provided his solution he had thought up.

"Given what I've stated, I believe it is for the best that the eagles should hang back with the flying snakes riding on top as backup. They'll follow us in and by the time we are about to strike, they should come within hearing range of the guards. Once the attack begins, if the Pure Ones prove hard to defeat, the eagles and flying snakes will come in and finish to job while we focus on securing and destroying the flecks."

"If stealth is a problem, what about Digger and Gylfie?"

"They should follow us in as well like the eagles, but much closer. I think Martin should carry the ember that we'll use to destroy the flecks and reignite our fire branches. Digger and Gylfie will protect him and also flank the enemy if possible."

"You're starting to sound like Ezylryb with your plans, Soren."

"I'm sure Ezyl would think this plan is a bunch of racdrops."

"Considering our situation, it's the best we can work with."

"Back on topic. Me, Ruby, and Otulissa will use fire branches. Twilight will focus on getting the bag of flecks. If he gets the opportunity and snatches it, we'll disengage and move on upon destroying it. The Pure One soldiers would be yoicks to try and stop us once they realize how many of us there are."

"Sounds like a good plan."

"I have the first location for our attack in mind. Upon success, we'll move on to the next one, then the next if possible. It is unlikely we'll get anymore than that, the Pure Ones will swarm soldiers at us and our fire branches won't stay ignited forever."

"I'm all for it, let's do it."

"Any questions before we do?"

"Alright, we're leaving. Otulissa, find some branches."

* * *

"This is outrageous, sir. Every other unit just got orders to reposition but not us? Surely this must be a mistake, we should disregard it and join up with the others."

"Corporal, the last thing you should be contemplating is disregarding orders, considering that is what got you here in the first place."

"You know that is racdrops, sir."

"Is it? The lieutenant was quite clear on the reasons why you were brought here. You were too worried about promotions and glory over orders. You tried penetrating into the Great Tree itself and got your soldiers slaughtered — good, pure Tytos killed. You should be thanking the High Tyto for not executing you immediately and sending you here instead."

"The High Tyto didn't execute me because I was doing the right thing, I would've been successful if I had more soldiers under my command, but several Tytos is hardly enough against those Guardians. Pure or not."

A young barn owl in the back of the hollow stirred reluctantly from his sleep. Having the day-shift for guarding the area, he found himself struggling to sleep ever since that loud-beaked grass owl corporal showed up. Night after night, he would complain to the sergeant, a rather battle-hardened barn owl, about how useless they were being guarding against nothing while their comrades were out on an island in the middle of the sea fighting a war.

There was no way to drown out the loudness of the corporal, the youngling heard every last word of disdain escaping from the grass owl's beak.

_For a species so pure, it's hard to believe our greatest strength is also my current greatest weakness . . . _The youngling mused.

Unable to sleep any longer, the barn owl roused, attracting the attention of the two superior ranked owls. The sergeant remarked.

"If there's one thing you're good at, corporal, is killing our own soldiers. This poor youngling here is probably close to death from the lack of sleep he's getting from you rambling on your beak incessantly."

The corporal glared at the young one, the barn owl likewise stared back nonchalantly.

"What are you looking at, young'un?"

"Nothing . . . sir."

"I think you're confusing me for yourself. I'm not _nothing, _I'm a corporal with combat experience. You are nothing."

"Enough of this nonsense. Corporal, it's your turn to stand guard."

"This soon? That sooty outside hasn't even completed half of his scheduled time."

"Do you want me to shift you to day-shift, then? No? Then get on with it, before I decide to report you for disobedience."

The corporal snorted in dismay, but did not object further. He exited the hollow and relieved the young greater sooty owl outside, who entered the hollow in a rather pleasant mood.

The sergeant studied the bag at the center of the hollow, the one he had instructed no one to touch, before turning to the the young barn owl.

"Get some rest, young one. That's an order."

"Yes sarge."

The sergeant whispered some orders silently to the greater sooty owl that had came in, before the sergeant himself stepped out. From the faint sound the young one heard, the sergeant heard an order be directed to the corporal before several wingbeats indicated one of the two of them had left.

The sooty adopted a similar position as the young Tyto and sighed. He seemed just as tired as the barn owl, though they weren't fully used to the sleeping schedules just yet, unlike their older counterparts.

After a brief period of silence, the sooty decided to break in.

"I don't think we've talked much before, eh?"

The barn owl simply shook his head.

"Well, you can call me Rodin, what's your name."

"Johan."

"Ah . . . well nice to meet you, Johan."

"So, how did you end up in the Pure Ones?"

"I'm not quite sure, to be honest. Sarge raised me for most of my nights as a hatchling. It's part of the reason why I got qualified to be a soldier at so young of an age. I've only learned how to fly about a moon ago."

"That's interesting. Do you like all of this?"

"Oh, yes, I guess . . . what's there not to like?"

Rodin seemed to restrain himself from going down that conversation path.

"Nothing, Johan, just figured to ask."

Silence returned to the duo. It was obvious to the sooty that the Johan wasn't a social owl, which is to be expected from someone who was raised from the bottom-up in the Pure One organization.

"I know this is probably a dumb question, but are you eager to fight?"

"Eager to fight?" Johan repeated.

"Yeah, we're both soldiers after all."

"I know, but . . ." He let the sentence die off on its own.

In truth, the youngling could hardly care about fighting in the war, in fact, he was quite comfortable with the arrangement made for him. He and many other young, aspiring soldiers were pulled from their units, and given the special task of staying behind to guard certain areas from possible Guardian intrusion.

The reasoning behind why he was chosen for the task varied. The greater sooty owl, on one occasion before had said they were kept back because of their lack of experience flying in the winterlies, and the Pure Ones didn't want to risk wasting their potential. The new-coming corporal, however, stated bluntly several times before that they were put here because they were close to useless. The sergeant, however, objected to this claim made, and reminded them that the task they were given is far more important than they realize.

So, in other words, no one really knew. But the youngling suspected that if anyone did, it was the sergeant.

Johan, not knowing how to continue the conversation, decided to try and ask Rodin something.

"You asked me how I joined the Pure Ones. How about yourself? I'm also curious to know how you got here."

"That's . . . probably best saved for another time. You look like you could use some rest, anyhow. Let's get some sleep before that corporal starts to rant again."

The grass owl poked his head into the hollow. "I heard that, _sooty_, and you'll regret it."

"Sorry, sir, didn't mean it."

"You'll be sorry alright." The grass owl sneered, before returning to his post.

"Anyways, sleep well."

"You too."

Time flowed by quickly. Johan found himself dreaming about trying to kill a young fox. He was scared about it because he didn't have his battleclaws, He didn't know if it was a test or if he was hunting, he just wanted that fox. He overpowered his fear and dived at it at great speed, it noticed him halfway through the dive and turned its head to him. A shattering screech pierced the air, so loud it snapped Johan out of the dream. He would quickly realize it wasn't the fox that made the sound.

"Get up you sprinking young'un!" The corporal barged in frantically, yanking Johan up to his feet with a forcefulness never experienced before.

"We're being attacked! Snap out of it and get your battleclaws on!"

The corporal rushed back out, the screeching getting closer. Johan was flooded with a variety of emotions all at once, overwhelming his senses and rendering him unable to think clearly. He struggled to properly secure his battleclaws to his talons. The sounds outside got closer and closer, Johan had no idea what was going on.

"The bag!" He heard his sergeant yell just outside. "Get the bag! We have to move it!"

Johan froze, the bag was just beside him. Without thinking, upon securing his battleclaws he grabbed it and rushed out the hollow and onto a branch. The battle going on outside was too chaotic for him to properly observe it. In trying to do so, he only barely noticed a great grey owl coming right at him.

Reacting defensively, he hoped backwards off the branch to try and avoid him. It was only partially successful, he felt two claws cut across his right flank, the pain was excruciating, and it sent him in a spin he only barely recovered from a few feet away from the ground. Upon recovering, he realized that the impact had caused him to drop the bag, it laid there, exposed. While he didn't know what was in the bag, he knew it was important and tried going straight for it. A voice stopped him just before he committed.

"Leave it, soldier! Retreat!" The sergeant shrieked.

Johan hesitated, a costly mistake in the heat of battle. "Bu-"

"LEAVE IT!"

A burning light filled his vision, as if a Guardian had used nachtmagen to generate fire. The short-eared owl was so close to swiping it at him, but a patch of grey feathers prevented it It was Rodin, he charged straight at it, battleclaws brought to bare. The short-eared seemed stunned momentarily, giving Johan the time he needed to escape. Spotting his sergeant fleeing, he flew after him, not intending to look back.

A drawn-out, agonizing scream came from behind him. He knew it was the Rodin's without even looking back, and he didn't dare want to see it. Tears welled in his eyes regardless, for though he didn't really know the sooty, it was still a horrible death — worse, he was being burned alive.

Johan didn't pause, however, he kept flapping his wings and focused only on the sergeant. The corporal was also with him, Johan didn't know if they were still being pursued or not, it didn't matter. He was going to fly as fast as possible anyways.

After thirty seconds, the sergeant seemed to reorient himself, and checked behind him. He seemed relieved, though, whether he was relieved to see Johan alive or the Guardian attackers not there was undetermined. He slowed his flight and motioned for the two other survivors to join up with him. But they didn't stop flying.

"Rodin . . . he . . ." Johan choked out, his sobs were cut short by the corporal.

"Sounds like the sooty owl is just soot now, serves him right."

"I've had it with your transgressions! If the situation wasn't as severe, I'd kill you by now!" The sergeant snapped, The outburst scared Johan just as much as it did the corporal.

They all took a moment to recollect themselves, before the sergeant stated.

"I'm sorry that we lost someone. That attack was completely unexpected and well coordinated. I've never seen owls weaponize fire like that. We're lucky to have escaped alive."

"But . . . the bag . . ." Johan got out.

"They can have it. What's more important now is warning the other units. They won't stand a chance without our help."

The corporal seemed suddenly fearful, seemingly knowing the true importance of the content in the bag.

"Sir . . . but us losing the bag . . . we'll be-"

"Corporal, I promise you, we did our job. Now our task is to warn others. If you all do that, we'll have saved the Pure Ones from disaster."

* * *

"Soren!" Twilight yelled. "We should be chasing after them, not letting them go! Prevent them from spreading the word!"

"No Twilight, we cannot overextend ourselves. We'll get separated and picked off. Otulissa had her fire branch dislodged and we're lucky they didn't put much of a fight."

Their attack had been not gone according to plan. A Pure One soldier seemed to have been hunting for prey in the surrounding area and detected their approach. Rushing back to his position, he warned his comrades, almost allowing them to escape with the flecks. Luckily, the Pure One commander seemed to had underestimate their numbers and didn't consider retreating until spotting Martin's group. Still, the fight was tough, the commander managed to disarm Otulissa, but he didn't have the chance to exploit it. Soren didn't want to think about what would've happened if he did.

"Please Twilight listen to Soren." Ruby begged.

"Fine. I'll trust his gizzard this time."

Martin arrived with the ember. "Where's the bag? We must not waste any time."

"It's right down there." Otulissa pointed with a talon.

"They sure didn't put up much of a fight for it." Ruby commented.

Twilight responded disgustedly. "No, they valued their lives more than the fleck. Cowards."

Otulissa seemed to notice something off about all of this.

"Something's not right, do you feel it in your gizzard, Soren?"

"I didn't want to mention it. Let's just hurry up and get this done."

Twilight landed near the bag. But upon inspecting it, he seemed extremely confused, then anxious. The group assumed it was just the magnetic effects messing with him, but he stated otherwise.

"Why am I not feeling anything?"

Soren and Ruby alighted down to him, they also noted the lack of the expected sensation.

Twilight opened it, revealing the content inside of the bag. Soren suddenly went yeep, Ruby also was stunned.

"What!? What is it!?"

"There's no flecks in it, it was a fake — a decoy!"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, a cliffhanger. That's what the readers want, of course, rather than an actual satisfying ending to a chapter. In any case, seems the Chaw of Chaws has quite a complication now. **

**As you may have noticed, I cut out most of the "fighting" due to it being kind of redundant. I think covering a Pure One's point of view is more interesting, especially since it'll be a recurring character. I didn't want to use OCs, but then again, Lasky sure didn't provide many Pure One characters to work with (not to say there isn't quite a few nice ones, just not applicable for the plot I have in mind). In any case, I'm rambling on at this point, will see you all next time!**


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